In-Ze
by Jupitus Garth
Summary: Kara In-Ze of Argo, a survivor of the destruction of Krypton and the wasting of her world. This is the story of how one lost girl found family and hope.


**A/N: This is a story that's been rattling in my head for a while, but recently I was inspired to actually start it. This story will have multiple "parts" each part focusing on something different as she turns from a lost girl to the happy girl we see flying with the birds at the start of her debut episode.**

 **All characters (except the ones I made up) belong to DC and WB. Thanks to them and Bruce Timm, Paul Dini and all the others for bringing the characters such life.**

* * *

 **Part 1 – Survivor**

 **Chapter 1**

Books flew everywhere as Kara found herself falling, followed by an audible "Oof" as she hit the concrete floor. It didn't hurt as much as she had been expecting, not physically, but the laughter of the other students hurt whatever sense of pride she had left.

"You think you're better than us, don't you, city girl!" the girl who had tripped her shouted down at her. "Just cause we don't have no fancy city education don't mean we're dumb."

Kara didn't answer as she scrambled for her books. This was the beginning of her second day at Smallville High and things were already not looking good. She had made a grave error in science class and now she was paying the unfortunate price.

The girl who had tripped her grabbed her by the hair and yanked her backwards. "Where do you think you're going, shorty?" she demanded. "I haven't finished with you, yet."

It had been on the very first lesson on the very first day that Kara had made a mistake. She had been so shocked by how backward this planet's education system was that she had unintentionally and very loudly insulted everyone in the room. It had not only resulted in her being verbally disciplined by the teacher but had also drawn the ire of her fellow students.

"Get off me!" Kara yelled as she tried to pull her hair free of her tormentor's grip.

"Not so high and mighty now, are you!"

The accompanying laughter and stares did little to ease the feeling of humiliation Kara was feeling. She had been here on Earth a little over two months, and despite what Clark had told her about this planet's sun and its effect on Kryptonian physiology, she had still yet to show signs of developing any powers. It was a good thing, particularly for Lucinda, the girl who wouldn't let go of her long blonde hair, otherwise, she would be in real trouble.

"Let go!" Kara said as she gave one final tug. Unfortunately, Lucinda let go at just the right moment for Kara to end up stumbling face first into a locker door. Her hair was then yanked back again before her head was slammed into the locker a second time.

"What's going on here!?" a voice shouted.

Lucinda instantly let go of Kara. "Nothing, sir," she said quickly.

For a moment, Kara felt saved. That was until she looked around and found it was the science teacher from her very first lesson, the one she had unintentionally insulted.

"Everyone disperse," Mr Benson shouted, his glare on her.

Immediately the other teens began to walk away, even Lucinda, though she didn't get far.

"Where do you think you're going?" he demanded.

"You said to disperse," Lucinda pointed out.

"I meant everyone, but you two. Now, what is going on here?"

Neither of the girls answered. Kara decided there was no point in trying to defend herself. She hadn't exactly endeared herself to this teacher, quite the opposite. She could tell by the way he looked at her that he didn't like her. He would probably take Lucinda's side regardless of what she said.

"I asked you both a question?" he said more forcefully.

Lucinda pointed at Kara. "She started it."

The teacher looked at Kara. "And what do you have to say for yourself?"

Kara shrugged and remained silent. She could sense that there was a divide between the 'country' folk and the 'city folk'. They thought she was a city girl and while that was true, she wasn't from no city on Earth. Not only did they not know that last part, but they also _couldn't_ know it, not without putting herself and the Kent's in danger.

"Nothing to add?"

"There's no point. I know you've already made your mind up about me." Kara said quietly.

The teacher stood up straight and glanced between the two of them, before looking at Lucinda. "You may leave." He then looked at Kara. "You can stay."

A smirk crossed Lucinda's face. "You're in trouble, now."

"So are you if you don't get out of here," Mr Benson said, before emphasising with, "Now!"

Lucinda moved off down the hallway, leaving Kara and the teacher alone. Kara could tell she was in trouble. What he said next though, both surprised and shocked her.

"I know about your parents," he began.

"Y-you do?"

"This a small town, word moves fast. I know it must be difficult going from the big city to a small town like this, more so when it's because of the death of your parents, but you can't take it out on those around you. All you'll do is make it harder on yourself."

Kara looked down at her feet. "I'm sorry."

"Try to make some friends, Kara. It'll be easier if you do."

"No one likes me."

"Someone will if you try. Just stay away from Lucinda and her friends. She's trouble."

"They were all laughing at me, not just her friends."

"That's teenagers for you. Personally, I think you're all a bit sociopathic. Now, I look forward to seeing you in science class. You rather surprised me."

Kara glanced up at him, then back down at her feet. "Sorry," she apologised again.

"No, I mean positively, after your little diatribe you showed your intelligence. You're a very smart young woman. Cultivate it, and you'll go far in life."

"Thank you, sir," Kara said, feeling genuine gratitude. She had been sure he hated her but clearly, he didn't, which she was thankful for.

"Now scoot. I don't want you to be late for your next lesson on my account."

"Yes, sir."

Mr Benson turned and walked off down the hallway while Kara finally retrieved her fallen books before she headed for maths class. She was confident it would be easy when compared to how maths was back home on Argo. She doubted she would have to calculate the approximate mass of a neutron star based on the blinking of its pulsar, the speed of its rotation, and the lensing effect it had on the surrounding space-time.

Undoubtedly, the hardest part would be staying awake. Physics class, for instance, Kara had covered in third-grade, and she hoped it got a little more complicated. She didn't like the idea of leaving high school dumber than she went in.

"You're late," the teacher said without looking up as Kara stepped into the room from where she sat from behind her desk.

"I got lost," Kara said as she found a free desk and sat down.

The teacher didn't say anything else to her but instead addressed the class as she stood up. "I hope everyone did their homework?"

Kara noticed a few of the other students look a little uncomfortable. It was apparent they hadn't done it or done it poorly, but since this was her first maths lesson, she didn't have a homework assignment to hand in.

"Get out your homework and place them on your desk. Those that haven't done it better have a good reason."

Kara watched as most of the others reached into their backpacks and retrieved their homework. Only two didn't, not including her. The teacher began to walk down the aisles, picking up people's homework as she went.

The first student she came across that had not done it, she questioned in a rather harsh tone. "Where is your homework?"

"I forgot," came his poor excuse.

"You can't afford to forget your education."

"I know, but my mom's not well."

"You know how important this is. I'll let you off with a warning this time, but next time it'll be detention, understand?"

"Yes, miss."

The teacher made her way back up another aisle collecting homework, only stopping again when she came across another student who had failed to do their homework. "What's your excuse?"

The tall, dark-haired girl was one of Lucinda's friends, and she seemed completely disinterested. "I went out last night."

"You've had since last Friday to get it done."

The girl shrugged in response.

"In that case, you can finish it in detention."

That made the girl pay attention. "What? No way! You didn't give the geek over there detention."

"He had an excuse."

"I do, I went out."

"A good excuse," the teacher corrected. "You still have detention."

She moved on, continuing to collect homework until she came to Kara.

"I haven't seen you before, are you new?"

Kara nodded. "Yes, miss."

"What's your name?"

"Kara. Kara In-z-uh-Kent. Kara Kent," Kara verbally stumbled before mentally chastising herself for making yet another mess up.

"There's no need to be nervous, Kara. I'm Mrs Hennessy."

"Uh, hello Mrs Hennessy," Kara said, unsure what exactly she was meant to say. She felt uncomfortable, especially with the scowl coming from Lucinda's friend.

The teacher seemed to get the hint and moved off, collecting the rest of the homework before taking it all to her desk and placing the papers down on top. "Okay class, for a warm up I want to do some simple algebra questions."

Kara watched in amazement as Mrs Hennessy wrote two equations on the blackboard. She wasn't kidding when she had said they were going to be simple. She looked around at the other students as they groaned. Were they groaning because they thought it was easy or because it was hard?

"Now, I want you to figure out the answer. Both x and y have the same values in both questions," Mrs Hennessy said. "You can use paper to work it out if you want. Once you know the answer raise your hand, I want to see how fast you can do it. This one's easy, so it shouldn't take more than a few minutes."

Kara raised her hand.

Mrs Hennessy looked over at her. "You have a question, Kara?"

"No, I know the answer."

"That was quick," Mrs Hennessy said in surprise.

"Uh," Kara said, suddenly unsure. Not about the answer to the equation, that was easy, but now she was uncertain whether she should reveal she knew the answer. She didn't want to fail on purpose, but she also didn't want people to become suspicious of her.

"What is the answer, then Kara?" Mrs Hennesy asked her.

"Well, uh, x is eighteen and y is nine."

"That is correct," the teacher said smiling.

"Nerd," Kara heard one of the other students whisper under his breath.

Mrs Hennessy cleared the equations from the board and wrote out two more. "The same as before. Both x and y have the same values in both questions. And I want someone other than Kara to answer."

Within seconds Kara knew the answer. She looked around at the other students to see some just sat there looking bored, such as Lucinda's friend, while others appeared to be trying and struggling to figure it out. Even though she had yet to develop any powers like Clark, Kara couldn't help but feel like she had a super brain. Argoan education was clearly light years ahead, not only in the sciences but also in mathematics.

The teacher took a long look around the classroom. "So, any takers on the question? It's not that hard, so I expect a lot of hands."

The boy who had failed to do his homework due to his ill mother raised his hand. "I think if x is twenty-one, then y is fourteen."

"Correct," Mrs Hennessy congratulated. "I am disappointed with the lack of hands. If I don't see more engagement, I might have to start handing out more homework." There was another groan which seemed to please the teacher as she smiled. "Now, I hope everyone's brains have warmed up for the lesson ahead because today we're going to be doing more Algebra."

There was a collective sigh from around the room, which Kara shared once the teacher started to hand out the assignment, but hers was for a different reason. She quickly realised that she wasn't going to be challenged much here, which was both good and bad. While she had found maths difficult back home and would have loved for it to be easier, there was such a thing as too easy.

Class dragged on for what seemed like an eternity, but finally, as the bell rang, she leapt up, grabbing her bag and throwing it over her shoulder, as did the other students. It was time for the lunch break and just like her first day she went outside and ate her packed lunch sat under the shade of a tree.

Unfortunately, lunch break wasn't as long as she would have liked and soon she was back in a stuffy classroom in US History class, and Kara found herself sitting there feeling a little horrified for the next hour.

Before long, Kara's second day at school was over, and she was walking over to Jonathan who was parked outside in his pickup truck.

"Have fun?" he asked.

She shrugged as she climbed inside and pulled the door shut. "It was okay, I guess."

Jonathan looked at her for a moment. "Do you have a bruise on your forehead?"

Kara reached up and felt the slight sore lump above her eyes in the middle of her head from where she had struck the locker earlier. "It's nothing," she muttered.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," Kara said. "I wanna get back to the farm. I have some history homework to do."

Jonathan started the truck and pulled away from the curb. "You shouldn't get into fights, Kara," he said as he drove up the road. "What if your powers awakened in the middle of it? You could really hurt someone."

"It would serve her right," Kara mumbled.

"Kara, I know you're angry about what happened to your planet, but..."

"You don't know anything," she said heatedly. "Stop trying to psychoanalyse me."

"I'm not doing that. I'm just trying to let you know that I care. Both of us do, me and Martha. Clark too. You're the only link he has with his kind. That's special to him."

"I don't care."

"Well, we do, Kara. We care about you."

"I didn't ask you to care."

"No, you didn't," Jonathan agreed. "But caring isn't something that requires permission. It's what good people do no matter what. Clark even cares about Lex, believe it or not, despite him being his arch nemesis."

"Clark is an idiot."

"He may be that, but he's also got a heart. A super-sized heart."

"He's a super-sized lame."

Jonathan grumbled. "At least you're starting to sound like you're a teen from Earth."

Kara felt bad. She didn't want to take it out on him, or on Clark, not after everything they had done for her. "Sorry," she said, staring out of the window.

"It's okay to feel sad, Kara."

"I miss them so much," she said, feeling tears start to well up in her eyes. She quickly wiped them away.

"I know you do," Jonathan said as he pulled up to the side of the road in front of the grocery store. "Listen, I need to get some things for Martha. Are you gonna be alright on your own for a few minutes?"

"I'm already on my own," she muttered.

"That's not true at all. You're not alone, Kara. Me, Martha, Clark. We're all here for you. If you need to talk about anything, then we'll be there to listen. I promise."

Kara didn't respond and instead began to play with her fingers. Jonathan pushed open the door and climbed out, making his way into the grocery store. With a soft sigh, she stared out of the window at a passing car. It was big, blocky and had a throaty growl to it as though there was some beast hidden inside.

She didn't like it here on this world. Everything here was so primitive, so archaic when compared to home. She knew that she was lucky to be alive, but honestly, she didn't feel all that lucky. Lucky would have been dying in her cryogenics pod along with everyone else.

No, that wasn't true. She didn't wish she was dead, at least not usually. There were times, particularly at night where she would find herself unable to sleep dwelling on what could have been, wondering whether she would have been better off dead. She hated having those thoughts. She just wanted it to pass, for her to somehow be happy again, but she didn't know if she could have that ever again.

It was a good few minutes before Jonathan came back out with his shopping, accompanied by the clerk who helped him place the items into the back of the truck. As he stepped back, he noticed Kara sat inside.

"Who's this?" the clerk asked.

"Oh, this is, uh, my niece, Kara," Jonathan said quickly.

"Pleased to meet you there, little miss." He turned to face Jonathan. "Take care now, Mr Kent and drive safe."

"I'll See you next time," Jonathan said as he climbed back into the truck.

Roughly fifteen minutes later they were parked out front of the farmhouse. The moment the engine was off, Kara jumped out of the pickup and made her way to the house. As she reached the door, she stopped, looking back at Jonathan as he took a handful of groceries out of the back. After a few moments staring, she decided to help him.

"Do you want me to take some of those?" she asked him.

"Oh, thank you, Kara," he said, passing her a few paper bags. "Put these in the kitchen would you?"

Kara turned back to the house to find that Martha had opened the door. "Let me take those from you so you can help him get the rest."

She passed the older woman the bags before returning to Jonathan as he hoisted out a wooden crate full of groceries. "I've got this," he said.

"I can hold one side," she offered. "It would be easier to carry."

Martha shouted from the house. "Let her help. You'll do yourself an injury trying to carry that on your own."

"I always carry it in on my own," Jonathan pointed out.

"And how many times have you put out your back?" Martha asked.

Kara gripped the other side of the crate, and he relented. "Alright, Kara, you can help."

The two of them carried the crate into the house and through into the kitchen. Kara could tell that Jonathan was taking most of the weight, but the height difference between them made it difficult for her to carry.

With a heave, they put it down on the side, and immediately Martha moved in and started taking everything out of it. Once it was empty, Jonathan picked up the now empty crate one-handed and took it back to the pickup where he placed it down back onto the cargo bed before returning.

Kara meanwhile, made her way upstairs to do her history homework. It was about something called 'The Great Depression' which in some ways echoed how she had been feeling since she had been thawed out. It was an era in United States history, an economic collapse and supposedly the worst one in Earth history, at least modern history.

Using the book she had at hand, she did the assignment to the best of her ability. She detailed the causes and the effects before she had to go downstairs to eat. It was a beef pot roast, something that was apparently rather popular around here. At least in Kansas.

As she started to eat, Martha pointed something out which Jonathan had noticed earlier. "Have you bumped your head?"

Before Kara could answer, Jonathan answered for her. "I think she got into a fight at school."

"A fight?" Martha asked in surprise before it turned into disappointment. "Oh, Kara."

"It wasn't a fight," Kara said, deciding to end what had been an assumption on Jonathan's part. "A girl at school pushed me into a locker."

"Why would she do that?" Martha asked her.

Kara shrugged as she started to poke at her dinner with her fork.

Jonathan answered for her. "You know how kids are. They notice anything's different about a person and they'll hone in for the kill."

Martha gave him a look of annoyance before focusing back on Kara. "Who pushed you, what's her name?"

"It was nobody," Kara mumbled, wanting them to drop it.

Jonathan nodded. "That's right, Kara, she's a nobody. Only a nobody would be a bully."

Martha ignored him. "Did you tell a teacher?"

"A teacher stopped her," Kara told them. "Mr Benson."

"Did he give her detention?"

Kara shook her head.

Martha wasn't happy. "He let her get away with it?"

"Can we not talk about this?" Kara pleaded. "I'm fine. It doesn't even hurt."

"That's not the point," Martha said. "This is why bullies think they can get away with it."

Jonathan agreed. "She's right. This Mr Benson should be ashamed of himself."

"I like Mr Benson," Kara said defensively. "Can we drop it? I don't want to talk about it anymore."

"Alright, Kara," Martha accepted. "But tell us if it happens again."

"Sure," Kara said, focusing back on her food.

With the last mouthful, she excused herself and made her way back up to her room where she checked over her homework. Satisfied, she put it all carefully into her backpack and made her way over to the window and stared out of it.

She watched forlornly at a flock of birds as they flew overhead. She wished she could join them. Kara didn't understand why she wasn't like Clark yet. She was here, she was under the same sun, yet she still felt normal. Was it an age thing? She had been told that Clark had been around her age when his powers had started to fully develop. Maybe she simply needed to wait a little longer?

"One day I'll be out there with you," she muttered under her breath.

She just hoped that it wasn't because there was something wrong with her. Clark had told her that having powers wasn't the be all and end all, but after seeing what he could do, she wanted that. To be able to fly, to be able to go anywhere, do anything. She didn't even care about the super strength, the heat vision or any of that. Merely being able to fly was good enough for her.

There was a knock at her door, and she turned around to see Martha poking her head in. "I just came to see how you were doing?"

Kara looked back out of the window. "You have beautiful birds here on Earth."

"Yes we do," Martha said as she stepped further inside. "I was talking with Jonathan and you've been cooped up here since you got here. That isn't healthy."

"I spent a week at S.T.A.R. Labs when I first got here," Kara reminded her. "To make sure I wasn't evil or something."

"Yes, well, we were thinking, how would you like to go out somewhere this weekend. A little day trip?"

"Where to?"

"We're still working out the details. Is there anywhere you'd like to go?"

"Metropolis."

"Well, that's quite the drive from here," Martha pointed out.

"Clark can fly it in a few minutes."

"Unfortunately, the pickup doesn't go as fast as Clark."

Kara smiled at that. "I don't care where we go. I'd like to see more nature," she said, before mentally adding; _and to be able to fly with the birds as Clark does._

"Maybe we could go for a trek locally. I remember when Jonathan and I used to go on long walks. This was years ago before we found Clark. I remember one time Jonathan decided to take the shotgun for a little deer hunting. By the time we got back, his shoulder was crooked and he had terrible neck pain. Vowed to never hunt one so big again. At least not without the truck."

Kara laughed nervously. "Sounds like a blast," she said, before wincing at the unintended pun.

"I know this world seems strange to you," Martha said, moving up beside her. "You have any questions about anything and we'll do our best to answer it. Don't be afraid of offending us or being embarrassed, either. We understand that our two cultures are very different."

"They _were_ very different," Kara corrected. "I don't have a culture anymore. They're all dead."

Martha held out her arms. Understanding the gesture, Kara reached out, and they hugged.

"You're getting quite the grip," Martha said, sounding a little out of breath.

Kara smiled as she eased off on the tightness of the hug. She didn't know what she had done to deserve such caring people, but no matter how angry or distressed she had been over the last month, neither Jonathan nor Martha had ever lost their patience with her. They seemed to care genuinely, and for that, she was grateful.

"Whatever happens, Kara, we're here for you."

"Thank you," Kara said, trying not to cry.

Martha ended the hug and gripped her by the shoulders. "You are _not_ alone. If you need to talk or feel that things are too much to handle, speak to us about it no matter how silly it seems. We're here to be your support."

This time, Kara did begin to cry. Martha wiped the tears away with her thumb, a warm smile on her face. "You are very special, Kara. Just like Clark you have it within you to make this world a better place."

Kara appreciated the kind words even if she didn't believe them. "I'm sorry for being snappy all the time."

"You're grieving. Being mad, and angry and upset is okay. It's all part of the healing process."

"Thank you for being there for me."

"No, Kara, there's no need to thank me. We've been feeling a little lonely since Clark left for Metropolis. He does come to visit, but not as often as we'd like."

Kara wiped her eyes. "When is Clark next coming to visit?"

"Tomorrow evening if he has the time. Between being Superman and a reporter, he has quite a busy life."

"Why did he move to Metropolis? Why not stay here on the farm?"

"Because he can do more good there."

Kara nodded in understanding. "Maybe one day I can be a hero like him."

"One day in the future," Martha agreed. "But for now you should focus on yourself." She made her way over to the door. "We love you very much, Kara. Remember that."

Kara nodded again. "I will and thank you."

Martha left her room and Kara looked back out of the window towards the orange washed sky. The sun was setting and it would take the day with it. Kara felt a lot better than she had a few minutes earlier. Both Martha and Jonathan had been so kind to her and she wanted to pay them back for that. As of yet, she didn't know how, but she would think of something.

She drew the curtains before stepping away from the window. Tomorrow would be another school day at Smallville High, and she intended on it being a better day than today. She planned to try and make at least one friend, though that was easier said than done.


End file.
